Broken Frontier

In our monthly guide through the pages of Previews Broken Frontier's resident retailer Lee Newman takes a look at the standout titles, hidden gems and out and out oddities shipping in August...

The dog days of summer don’t appear to be any more kind to our wallets as the August solicitations are as hot and heavy as the rest of the season. Ah, who needs gas anyhow? Take a shortcut through the phone book-sized catalog that is Diamond's Previews.

Marvel

Well this month is all about my new found love of Terry Moore. With Echo being one of my favorite new books and Strangers in Paradise being my catchup book preference right now, Marvel is guaranteed to get my money by letting him write Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #1 and Runaways (Vol. 3) #1. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

DC

DC is hitting heavy with favorite scribes as well. The DCU has become Grant Morrison’s little sandbox of late, but the final issue of All-Star Superman promises to be a legendary book, as has his whole run on this fantastic title. The Vertigo imprint is going to have a winner with Air #1, I hope.  Cairo  was easily the best graphic novel I read last year and this book brings that creative team, led by scribe G. Willow Wilson, to the world of monthlies. It seems that this book might have some similar thematic elements, but may be more focused on one character instead of an ensemble. Either way, I wait with baited breath! Speaking of Cairo, if you missed out, the softcover arrives in stores in August as well.

Dark Horse

The reprint of Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein is a no brainer. Having never read it, a friend introduced me to the art recently and it is some of the most impressive art you will ever see. Seriously, each panel could be framed and placed in some high-faluting museum somewhere. The fact that it is an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s most famous work only makes it that much more of a must have, as this is where Wrightson feels at home – with the horrific. For you fancy hardcover loving people, Dark Horse also wants your money with this and with The Hellboy Library Volume 2 as well as the limited version of last year’s delightful surprise hit The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite.

Image

My buddy Dwight MacPherson continues his odd children’s book The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo with the second volume. Can Edgar save his loved ones and escape the realm of dreams? There’s other things, but it is too hard to pick. Give the whole Image section a good read through, they are producing some interesting comics, from the monster fun you’ll find in Monster Pile-Up to the groundbreaking work of Jonathan Hickman to new war books like Guerillas to awesome looking horror titles like The Roberts. Image is one of the most interesting publishing houses in comics.

The Best of the Rest

For those who haven’t followed my advice or just like to trade wait, Abstract Studios hits with the first trade of the phenomenal Echo by Terry Moore. Superpowered action in an industrial intrigue book with some of the best character drama you will ever read. In other words, a perfect comic for everyone.

Ape Entertainment hits with some classic MacPherson as Dead Men Tell No Tales gets the collected treatment. Captain Kidd, Blackbeard and Black Bart all want to get their hands on some important artifacts quite a few years before Henry Jones, Jr. goes adventuring.

Ardden Entertainment makes a splash with the debut of Flash Gordon. That’s right - one of comicdom's most beloved characters is back in three color glory. With the stylized pencils of Paul Green this book promises not to be your dad’s Flash or even your Eighties movie Flash.

The solicitation of Avatar’s Crossed #0 says that Garth Ennis has “pulled out all the stops to write the most twisted book of his career.”  While I still think that Chronicles of Wormwood was much more twisted then The Boys or Preacher combined, no matter where you fall, that is a tall order. With Jacen Burrows on pencils, we will get to give it the hyperbole test in two short months.

Bodega got me with the title of Dave Kiersh’s Neverland, but the description that basically describes a Jason book minus the anthropomorphic dogs and the striking cover got me to mention it.

Boom! wants to fill the world with Deadites as they begin publishing Necronomicon. How did they wrangle William Messner-Loebs? Anybody know where a G-Mart is?

Desperado caught my eye with the striking image on the cover of Detectives, Inc. but it is No Formula: The Stories from the Chemistry Set GN that set my heart afire. Boasting a nifty cover, my favorite kind of anthology (new and upcomers) creators and three Xeric winners. This has got to be the next Flight, right?

Over at Devil’s Due, Hack/Slash meets the Re-Animator? But what is really cool is one of Indie Comics' new superstar writers brings the Serpo OGN to Tim Seeley’s house (my pet name for DDP). Twelve Americans go to a distant plaent to live with its people. Billed as being based on a true story, Burns always writes compelling and original comics fare.

Drawn & Quarterly publishes the second volume of Jason Lutes' brilliant historical drama Berlin in collected format. This is meticulously researched, heart-breaking stuff from a comic master. I highly recommend the first volume of Berlin as well as his earlier Jar of Fools, an i mpressive and compelling serial narrative. They also want you to buy Rutu Modan's (last year’s Eisner Nominated Exit Wounds) new anthology Jamilti and Other Stories. If her unique drawing style and impressively emotionally narratives don’t touch you, you aren’t human!

When I got my hands on Fantagraphics’ catalog earlier this year, Abandoned Cars immediately caught my eye with its Charles Burns-esque cover. Its anthological nature and the quote “American Culture is thrift store” got me to add it to my pulls. Clowes fans rejoice – Ghost World is getting the fancy deluxe hardcover treatment!

First Second puts out the cool looking books every once in a while. This month they get me with The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard . Written by Eddie Campbell, the solicitation sent shivers up my spine with these words, “Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, for a glorious spectacle of graphic literature beyond your wildest imaginings.” Well that conjures images of Alice in Sunderland and Lost Girls to my head, so it better deliver!

Ooh, so the fruits of the new exclusive contract with IDW is Templesmith’s Welcome to Hoxford . This means both my favorite artists now work there (the other is Ashley Wood). My dad will be wanting me to get him copies of Galaxy Quest: Global Warning . I wish my parents would just come in the shop sometimes. And in the "ordering on sight without reading solicitation" category comes New Classics of the Fantastic: Nightwings. Anything with a cover that cool has to rock! 

Kid’s books!  IDW brings us A Rumpus in the Night and William’s Dinosaur. These things look like they belong on the Caldecott wall. Here’s hoping the new Jonas Publishing imprint is a successful endeavor!

Oni Press gives Local the deluxe oversized hardcover treatment. Trade waiters rejoice this special book is finally done. Well worth the wait. This is a unique and organic book that took a path of its own, despite what Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly may have had planned for it. It is one of the best comics you will ever read.  Ryan Kelly said in issue #11 that he knows he may work on more successful books, he may even become a better artist, but he will never work on a better book. This my friends is not hyperbole.

Top Shelf. New Owly and Korgi for the little tykes and for the more sophisticated reader there is the anthology How to Love. The latter book is notable for a familiar name this month, Rutu Modan, among others. I could be wrong, but I believe that Actus (the named author of the book) is the collective that Modan is part of in her native Israel.

Another personal favorite artist has a new book at Viper. Josh Howard presents T-Bird and Throttle. This one doesn’t seem to be centered on scantily clad teen females, but it was always about the entertaining and imaginative stories he told anyhow.

Manga Watch: Fanfare publishes Disappearance Diary, an autobiographical account of one man’s attempt to escape all his responsibilities. This one won all kinds of awards in Japan, expect it to be highly lauded here as well.

Oddities and eyecatchers

Why does Archie Comics keep trying to break me? My daughter’s favorite book may be Runaways , but her favorite publisher is this storied company. With the publication of the Katy Keen Special Volume 1, they are just trying to get more of my money with one fatal swoop. Mission accomplished.

ASGMC certainly has me intrigued with the cover to The Victorian Horrors of Old Mauch Chunk #1. Eerie, spooky. Yeah I can sell this!

Aspen is back with an all new Fathom #1!

Blurred Books has solicited Blurred Vision Volume 4, I better get to reading it for an advanced review!

I am pretty sure this is the third Previews I have seen the Bad Boy hardcover in, are we really advance advance soliciting things now?

Disney Press: High School Musical GN. Nuff said.

Ooh- “Part artbook, part graphic novel” and “omnibus” are quotes from the solicitation for Frogchildren Studios’ Sixteen Miles to Merrick and Other Works!  Order up!

Moonstone – Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak!

PAGE 346. NEW ATOMIC ROBO!!!!!!!!!!!!